The Joys of Quitting Your Job
by Kerrison
Summary: Post Ep- Impact Winter. Donna’s impromptu trip to Madison for Christmas with her family goes awry - meanwhile an unexpected visitor causes her to discover the joys of quitting your job.
1. Chapter 1

_I wrote this long before I ever had an account here -- hopefully folks here will like to read it, too. _

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**Author's Notes:** Thanks to Natalie who was a great beta and sounding board. Of course, MANY thanks to Jessie, Beta and friend extraordinaire; you rock my literary world, hot-stuff. *wink*

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The fire warmed her face and she pulled the afghan a little tighter around her shoulders. From her seat on the floor the fire and the afghan kept her toasty while her father's wing back chair, behind her, supported her shoulders.

The snow continued to drift down around the house and she had no doubt that within only a few hours, the entire city would be snowed-in and shutdown.

"So much for Christmas with my folks," she muttered to herself, reaching for the mug of luke-warm cider that sat on the hearth in front of her. It had been hours since she had originally made the cup. Had it not been in front of the fire, it would have been chilled beyond room-temperature.

She had been through the newspaper twice and the _Madison Times_ crossword puzzle had been less than challenging. Bored, she'd made it half way through one of her father's mystery novels when she had given up and begun staring into the fire, unconsciously seeking out peace in the flames' reckless flicker.

She tilted her head back, resting it against the seat of the chair. This was not how she had planned her trip. This was not how she had planned her holiday. _Hell, _Donna thought, _this isn't how I planned my night! I was supposed to be dressed in a beautiful gown, dancing with Josh at Andie's fundraiser. I was supposed to be putting Amy to shame with my stunning new dress- the dress that I returned to fly out here. Damn. Damn this holiday! Damn this week!_

The thudding out on the porch caught her attention and her head turned sharply, her eyes casting a wary gaze towards the noise.

_What the --?_ She untangled herself from the blanket and set the mug back down on the hearth and began a cautious creep towards the door.

She put a hand on the heavy old door just as the knock fell from the other side. With a tug, she opened it a crack and peered out.

He was covered from head to toe in snow and had a rolling suitcase, his backpack, laptop, and his carryon all slung around his feet on the large porch.

"Happy Kwanzaa?" he said and she couldn't help but smirk as she opened the door the rest of the way and let him in.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, stopping herself from grabbing his bags and helping him. It was his choice to track her down. His choice to follow her. And it was his choice to bring so much damned stuff! Not her job; not her responsibility.

"My best friend stood me up for our benefit tonight. So I thought I'd track her down and see if she wanted to hang out."

"Maybe she had a reason to stand you up."

"Yeah," he said as he set the backpack and laptop down on the bench in the entryway and then tugged the carryon and suitcase inside, allowing her to shut the door behind him. "She did. She had a good reason- I was an ass."

"That's true.'

"Think she'll forgive me?"

"She might. If you brought chocolate and tickets to Hawaii."

"I don't know—this friend is very into the spirit of Christmas and I think she'd prefer to wait till Christmas morning to open her presents."

"Like hell she would," Donna replied, finally allowing herself to smile slightly. "Take your shoes off- you're covered in snow," she said, starting towards the kitchen to fix him a warm drink.

He toed his shoes off and nudged them under the bench as he pealed his jacket off, dumping a bit of snow onto the hard wood floors. He flinched when he shifted and his sock squished into melted snow.

She rounded the corner with a mug in her hand and held it out to him just as he pulled his scarf over his head and hung it on the peg.

He reached out for the mug, wrapping his hands around and stopping in mid motion as his eye caught sight of the liquid. "Coffee?"

"Yeah." She turned and headed back to her spot on the floor.

"You brought me coffee?"

"Yeah."

"Do I have cancer?"

"Not that I know of. "

"But you brought me coffee."

"I did."

"You never bring me coffee unless I'm loosing my job." He finally managed to un-stick his feet from the floor and he wandered through the entrance hall and towards the open living room.

"This is true."

"So… Why?"

"I don't work for you anymore, Joshua," she said softly, sipping her now-steaming cup of cider, her body again warming in front of the fire.

"Yeah. About that-"

She cut him off before he could continue; "I'm not coming back."

"I know," he said, his voice suddenly sad. He lowered his frame to the floor next to her.

"I'm not, Josh."

"I know," he said again, this time more firmly. He looked up and caught her eye. "I need you, Donna, but… you don't need me anymore and …." He paused. "Sorry- I'm still kinda stuck on you bringing me coffee."

"Don't get too used to the coffee!" She paused. "I do need you, Josh. But I still can't be your assistant for the rest of my life….. Even if I was the Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff."

"That was a good title, you know."

"I know," she said, nodding.

He sipped his drink. "How is it that in our history you've only brought me coffee once but you still know exactly how I like it?"

"I know a lot about you."

"Yeah, you do."

"You know how I like my coffee, don't you?"

"Extra Cream and sugar- so you can hardly taste the coffee."

"Exactly. "

"But you prefer the new white mocha from Starbucks. With Raspberry."

Donna turned and looked at him thoughtfully. "I only got that one time with you. How did you remember?"

"I remember most everything about us, Donna," he said, watching her out of the corner of his eye. Josh flinched as he heard his own words. "Wow, that was pretty cheesy, wasn't it?"

She chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. But I appreciate the sentiment. And I'm still impressed by your vast knowledge of my coffee preferences."

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Donna?" Josh said cautiously. "Its really quiet in here."

"Yeah. Big farmhouses get like that when they're empty," she said wryly.

"You have a huge family. Where is everyone?"

She sighed and set her mug down on the hearth again before stretching out and reclining back on the floor, propping herself up on her elbows. "At my Grandparent's." Her voice was heavy with resignation.

"Which is where?"

"St. Paul."

"So they'll be back tonight?" he asked.

"Nope." She sighed. "I didn't know I was going to be able to make it this year, Josh. I didn't have a chance to tell my parents since this," she gestured between the two of them with her hand," was all kind of last minute. I was going to surprise them. I get here and –Surprise!No family!"

"So… We'll go to them! St. Paul is, what, like, 2 hours away?"

She snickered. "More like six."

"I'm awake enough; you can sleep while I drive," he said, draining the last of his coffee out of the cup and moving to stand.

She placed a hand on his leg, stalling his movement. "Josh- there's already a good foot of snow on the roads here, another foot is predicted and the weather in St. Paul is even worse. We'll never make it. My parents flew in just like they do every year; I've already called the airport to try to get a last minute flight. St. Paul is grounded, flights both going and coming: the snow's too thick right now for them to be flying safely."

"Oh," he said, slumping back down on the carpet. "I'm sorry, Donna."

"Wow. That comments a rarity," she said with a small smile.

"Yeah, well, just 'cuz I don't say it doesn't mean … you know. I know I should say it more often- I know I'm an ass. And I know that since I didn't take your lunch-meeting seriously, I now royally screwed up your Christmas. So… I'm sorry."

She turned towards him. "Thank you," she said, her voice very sincere. "I … Really. Thank you, Josh."

He looked down at her and smiled. "So if there are no flights out, and we're snowed in… you're going to have a really crappy Christmas stuck here with me! I don't even do Christmas."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Its ok. The airline lost the bag that had my family's gifts in it. Your presents are at your Brownstone by now, waiting on your doorstep to be stolen, I'm sure. So, I'm batting a thousand."

He sighed. "Sucks to be a Gentile some days, I guess."

She reached over and lightly whapped him upside his head. "Be nice."

"I was!" He chuckled. "So we're really stuck here?"

"Yep."

"How long do these snow storm things usually last out here in Cheeseland?"

"Josh, you're from Connecticut. Don't' pretend like you've never dealt with snow before."

"This is Midwestern snow. Its different."

"Its snow, Josh. It lasts until it melts. I'd say we're going to be stuck here for a few days."

He smirked and leaned back, copying her body position. "Could be worse."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You could be stuck here with Amy."

"That would have been much easier than being stuck here with you," she said with a snicker.

"Oh really?"

"Definitely!" Donna rolled onto her side and eyed him. "I'd tie her to a chair and stuff her in the basement and have the entire house to myself. Walk around naked, eat junk food, listen to music really loud… it'd be great!"

He frowned. "Give me a second to process the mental image of you wandering around naked….OW!" he said, holding the now-stinging side of his head. Her quick thwack had surprised him. "What?"

"Josh!"

"Well put an image like that in my head, what do you expect me to do?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Amy would have been MUCH easier!"

"Ya know, I never did understand why you two hated each other so much," he commented.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah- You're my best friend and she was my girlfriend. Why didn't you guys bond over your common fondness of me?"

"I swear- you're the most stupid intelligent man I've ever met," she muttered. "Josh, really. You really don't get why we hated each other?" She processed the blank look on his face and sighed. "She was an absolute bitch to me at the office, Josh. She treated me like your errand boy! _You_ didn't even treat me like your errand boy. She played you when it came to Mrs. Bartlett! She tried to manipulate your relationship to further her political goals! God, not to mention that damned mumbling."

"Yeah, that was kind of annoying," he agreed with a chuckle.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Donna prodded, seeing the somewhat vacant expression on his face.

She sighed. "Ok, let me put this in a way you'll understand. Josh- why do you hate all of my boyfriends? Why did you go out of your way to keep me late at the office when I had a date, or call me in the middle of my dinner plans for something you could have handled on your own? What made you treat Jack like an ass _before _he screwed me over?"

"Because you're mine! You don't get to spend time with other people!" He blurted.

She nodded. "Yeah. _NOW _you get it," she said.

"Wow," he paused and cleared his throat. "I didn't realize I was so territorial."

"Well you are. And so am I."

He rested his head back on the floor. "We need therapy."

"Quite possibly."

"No, I mean, it's got to be really unhealthy that I can't share my assistant! I should call Stanley," he reached for his cell phone.

"Don't you dare; its past midnight, Joshua," she reached over and covered his hand with her own only to find him looking at her with a smirk. "Jerk," she muttered as she chuckled.

He shrugged. "I'm sorry I don't like the idea of sharing you with other people. You're mine."

"Yeah, I am," she agreed, ducking her head. "That's why I can't work for you anymore."

"I know you can't work for me anymore, Donnatella," he said softly, his hand twisting inside of hers, his thumb now stroking the soft of her palm. "And I don't want you to. This is your turn; you deserve to do everything you've ever wanted and I want to help. If that means I let you go work for someone else, as much as I hate the thought, that's what it means. I'll struggle and life will definitely suck without you."

"Without me?"

"Well you kinda quit and moved to Wisconsin."

"I didn't move to Wisconsin."

"You didn't?"

She shook her head slightly. "No. I did not."

"So you're still in DC? In the ghetto?"

She snickered. "Its not the ghetto- its eclectic and ethnically diverse. But, yes, still in DC."

"So, maybe we can do lunch once a week so I don't lose you?"

"Lose me?" She smirked. "Josh- I really doubt that we're going to have to have a set lunch planned just to see each other."

He frowned and moved his hand up to cup her cheek. "Donna, I lost sight of what's important when I pushed aside our lunch meeting three times. I don't want that to happen again. You're what's important to me. If I have to cancel baseball game night at Toby's to spend time with you, I will."

"Don't think for one minute I believe that, but none the less, who are you and where is the selfish Josh that I know so well?"

"We're phasing him out and phasing in sensitive and caring Josh. Its this thing we're trying."

She squinted at him. "I'm not sure how I feel about this change. This requires me to learn a whole new Josh."

"Time well spent?" he asked, the slightly rougher texture of his palm contrasting against the smoothness of her face and sending pleasurable chills through them both.

"Yeah, I'd think that any man who flies half way across the country on Christmas Eve to apologize to me for missing our lunch meeting deserves some time outside of the office," she said, barely managing to stifle a yawn.

He grinned and leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You need some sleep."

"So do you," she said, reaching up and touching the dark circles under his eyes. "Dad turned the heater off before he left- right now this is the only room really warm enough to sleep in. I'll get the pillows and blankets." She rose from the floor and shuffled off towards the first floor guest-room.

When Donna returned, arms full of pillows and thick blankets, she found that Josh had cleared the living room floor by pushing the large wing-backed chair out of the way. She opened her arms, dumping the pillows and blankets haphazardly onto the floor. "Can you make up your bed? I'm going to throw a few more logs onto the fire for you."

"_My_ bed?" he asked.

"I'm taking the guest room upstairs," she said, stacking three large logs onto the flames.

He frowned as he constructed a pallet with the pillows, comforters and afghans. "You just said this is the only room warm enough."

"I know, but I'll be ok. I'm from Cheeseland, remember? I can deal with Midwestern Snow," she said, mocking his earlier remarks.

Josh rolled his eyes as he reached up and grabbed her hand. "Donnna- don't be ridiculous. Stay down here- be my protector in case any odd Midwestern snow-beasts come try to kill me."

"Snow-beasts? Its really frightening to think that you're helping to run the country," she muttered, acquiescing and stretching down on the blankets, taking the spot furthest from the fire.

Josh flinched. _Guess we have to talk about that tomorrow, _he thought to himself, sliding down next to her.

Donna sighed. "Josh?"

He turned on his side to face her, "Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming. It means a lot that you'd come all this way just to try to .… I don't know. It means a lot. Thank you."

He smiled, dimples visible. "Thanks for opening the door. And, Donna, honestly? I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now."

Grinning fully, she leaned down and pulled the blanket tighter around her, rolling onto her side and away from him. "Goodnight, Josh."

"Night, Donnatella." He said, laying behind her. Closing his eyes, his last conscious thought was how nice her hair smelled.

******


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

******

The sun reached through the window and touched them both and they stirred out of sleep. Josh's arm had snuck around her middle during the night and her body had reached back and molded to his.

She stretched, arching her back into him with a slight moan. "Morning," she said, her voice husky with sleep.

"That's just mean," he muttered, covering his eyes with one hand as he rolled back onto his side.

"Hm?" she asked, rolling over towards him and draping one arm across his chest.

He chuckled to himself, amused with her ignorance of self. "You're mean," he said softly, dipping his head to place a gentle kiss on her head.

"I am," she asked, snuggling her head into his shoulder.

"You're cuddling with me."

"I am. "

"Why are you doing that?"

"I don't work for you anymore," she muttered with a grin as her eyes finally opened. "'Morning."

"Morning," he replied, smiling at her, his dimples in full force.

"You cold?"

He nodded. "Damned Cheeseland snow," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in an attempt to work out the kinks that had formed over night.

"I'll go see if there's hot water- we can take nice warm showers and then go outside and see how much snow there is." She shifted and kneeled next to him. She stretched and yawned again, her thermal shirt snuck up on her stomach, a few inches of skin showing.

Josh reached over, gripping the fabric with his fingers and allowing the back of his hand to rest on the exposed skin longer than necessary. His motion caught her eye. "You were gonna flash me there, slim," he said, tugging the fabric down firmly.

She merely stared at him for a moment before a mischievous glint finally worked its way to her eye and she stood up. "I know." She sauntered out of the room.

He groaned, covering his eyes and rolling onto his side.

******

He pulled his scarf tighter around his neck as he watched her pull on the door to the shed. She nudged some snow away from the shed-door jam with her boot and gave a large pull to the door. It swung open just enough for her to squeeze through.

"Dad must have filled it before he left," she muttered, checking the gasoline reservoir on the generator. She hoisted a cord of wood from the stack on the side of the shelf and held it out the door to Josh. "Here, He-Man," she called as she picked up a cord for herself. "Help me carry this inside, will you?"

"I take back every mean farm joke I ever made to you," he said, hefting the cord with his gloved hand.

Donna chuckled and watched him struggle to balance against the weight of the wood. "Pansy," she said, reaching and taking the wood back. "Get the door?"

They trooped inside the mudroom and she set the wood down as they stripped off their layers. Donna reached over and pulled the gloves off of Josh's chilled fingers, putting them into her back pocket on one side; her own gloves on the other side.

He unwound the scarf from around her neck, draping it on the clothes peg. His fingers lingered on her check as he reached up to remove her knit cap.

She tilted her face into his touch ever so slightly before peeling off her own coat and hanging it up without further preamble. She lifted the two cords of wood and walked to the living room, piling the wood next to the hearth. She reached into her back pockets and removed both sets of gloves and she hung them carefully on the small hooks on the front of the mantle.

He wandered up behind her and, as she stood and hung their gloves side by side, he couldn't keep his arms from moving. He wrapped an arm around her from behind, pulling her flush to his body, front to back. "Is that what those hooks are for?"

She chuckled. "No. They're for stockings. But I think this is a better use for them right now."

"Stockings?"

"Yeah. Its that gentile custom of hanging socks in front of the fire to be filled with goodies," she teased, leaning back into his embrace.

"Donna?" he asked, his breathe tickling her ear.

"I hate to admit it, but I'm glad you don't work for me anymore," he whispered.

She ducked her head and nodded. "You'll survive without me."

"That's just it," he said softly, turning her towards him and moving them both parallel to the fire. "I don't have to."

A blonde eyebrow arched up in question.

"I don't have to live without you. I just have to work without you," he paused, realizing this wasn't the most enticing speech she had probably ever received. "I mean… Donna, can I take you to dinner when we break out of this ice-fortress?"

She smirked. "Ice fortress?"

"Yeah. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Of all the people to be stuck here with and of all the people to wake up cuddling with and stand in front of a fire and fall in love with, I think you're definitely my top pick," he said quickly. "But still, this isn't at all romantic and it isn't… woo-worthy. I want to woo you," he said, his dimples peaking out.

"You want to woo me?"

"I'd like to try."

She smiled. "I think this is a very good start. This whole conversation is actually a little knee-weakening. I have to admit."

"Feeling jelly legged?" Josh asked, nudging the back of her knee with his own. Her legs buckled a bit and she leaned into him to regain her balance.

"Josh?" Donna asked, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heart beat beneath her ear. "I'm glad I don't work for you, too," she whispered, one hand next to her head on his chest and the other around, resting lightly on his waist.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I don't cuddle my bosses."

"That's good to know. I'll try to curb my jealousy of Will then."

"You're jealous of Will?"

"I am."

"Why's that? I mean.. granted, he's got great arms, but…he's not -"

"Your type?" Josh finished, cutting her off. "He definitely is, Donnatella. He's a gomer!"

"He is not. In fact, Joshua, you used to like him!" Donna lightly corrected. "But- if you had let me finish, I would have said he's not you, Josh."

"Oh, well…that's just cliché."

"It is, you're right," she chuckled. "But still a little bit true."

He leaned back and tipped her head up at him. "I really want to kiss you right now," he said with a tiny grin.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he nodded and then leaned forward and hugged her tighter, her head resting on his chest again.

"Um, Josh, you kinda forgot to kiss me right there."

"I did not forget. I'm just procrastinating to heighten the mood," he lied.

"Also known as chickening out," she said pushing him away and leaning up, quickly, and lightly pecking his lips. "Chickenshit," Donna muttered, walking into the kitchen with a shake of her head.

******


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

******

She had shown him how to make stew with the some of the various groceries still edible in the fridge. It was hearty and definitely filling on a cold night and Donna had to admit that he had been an excellent pupil.

"God, that was good," he groaned, pushing his bowl away from him and leaning back in his chair.

She had finished moments earlier and was already up washing the dishes. "It was," she agreed. She surveyed the kitchen and decided they had made an excellent meal but also an excellent mess. At least her hands were warm in the dishwater; she couldn't complain too much about that.

"Want some help?" he asked, standing and carrying his bowl to the sink and standing next to her, hip to hip.

"Nope- I'm fine," she said.

He ignored her and picked up the towel and began to dry the dishes.

"Very domestic of you there, Josh," she muttered as she rinsed the last dish.

"We all have hidden talents," he replied with a grin.

She shook the bubbles from her fingers and reached for the towel to dry off her hands. He saw her reach in time and pulled the towel from her reach.

"Come on, Josh." Her whine was belied by her playful grin as she lunged after the towel again.

"'Come on-' what, Donnatella?" he mocked, holding the towel over his head and just barely out of her reach.

She lunged after the towel once before a mischievous gleam hit her eye. Donna took a sultry step towards him, standing toe-to-toe and placing her dripping hands just above the waistband of his jeans. She ran her fingers along his stomach, leaving wet finger-marks on his cotton shirt. "You know, Mr. Lyman," she breathed, "You…," Donna's fingers worked the lowest button on his shirt open. "…are asking for trouble!" and then tugged his shirt tails up and into her hands, grinning mischievously as she dried her hands on his shirt.

"Thanks!" she said, turning around and leaving him breathing quickly in the middle of the kitchen.

"Hey!" He called as soon as he was able to formulate a coherent thought.

"Yeah?" she called back, heading through the living room and up the stairs.

"Donna!?" He whined, following after her with his disappointed puppy face firmly in place.

"Yeah?"

"You just ruined my plan!" he called, following her up the stairs and down the hall, barley able to see where she was headed as she rounded the corner into a room.

"You had a plan?"

"I did."

She looked over her shoulder at him as he made it to her room and leaned against the doorjamb. She rooted through her suitcase, pulling out a pair of flannel pajama pants. "What plan was that? The Secret Plan to Withhold Dishtowels?" She sat on the edge of her bed and tugged off her slightly damp socks.

The twilight reflecting off of the snow snuck through the opening in the curtains and provided a warm glow to the room. "I had a plan, you know," he muttered, looking around the room as he spoke. "This was your room?" he pushed away from the doorjamb and shuffled his sock-clad feet towards her bookcase.

"Yeah."

"Wisconsin Spelling Bee Championship?" he asked with a questioning brow, pointing to a small plaque and photo of a young towheaded child with long braids and a plaid dress.

"I can spell." She stood and unbuttoned her jeans, sliding them down over her hips and noting, out of one eye, how oblivious he was to her current state of undress. He was engrossed in her childhood memorabilia.

"Apparently," he replied, moving down the shelf and pausing at a slew of blue ribbons. "You rode horses?"

"I did."

"And you lived?"

"Apparently," she replied, mocking him as she pulled on her flannel pajama pants.

"You were good," he said, fingering the ribbons and turning around.

"I was damned good," she agreed.

"Donna?" he stopped, frowning, and glancing at her pants. "You weren't wearing that before."

"That's right."

"You just changed."

"That's right."

"You're a very observant man, Josh Lyman," she reached for the bottom hem of her sweater and stopped as he began opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"You were…like…undressed while I was in here!"

"Uh huh!" she nodded and looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Donna!" he groaned, running his hand through his hair and turning on his heel nervously to pace the length of the room.

"Yeah?" She chuckled and tugged the sweater over her head and reached for the Harvard sweatshirt resting on top of her suitcase.

"You can't be, you know, naked, while I'm in the room!" He turned around again, finding her only in her bra with her hands half way into the arms of the sweatshirt. "AH!" he muffled a cry as he spun around and held his head in his hands.

"Josh, just so you know, women don't usually like pained screaming as a reaction when they're seen in a bra. If that's how you handled Amy and Mandy, that could be why those relationships didn't last," she walked up behind him as she spoke.

"Donna," he whined. He could hear her growing closer as she spoke and he flinched when he felt her breath tickle the side of his neck.

"Hmm," she said, her arms through the sweatshirt, but it still not over her torso.

"Please tell me you have clothes on."

"Pants and a bra," she replied softly, her voice tinged with amusement as she watched his reaction. "I hope you've seen women in pants and a bra, before, Josh. It really shouldn't be this traumatic for a man of your age."

"My age?!" he asked, turning around before he could stop himself. "Wow," he sighed.

She smiled and pulled the sweatshirt over her head. "Well, wow is a little better than a pained scream. You're getting the hang of this."

"Donna?" he asked, reaching out and running his fingers along the hem of the sweatshirt.

"Yeah?"

"One: this is my sweatshirt you're wearing. And two: you're ruining my plan again," he said softly.

"The Secret Plan to Withhold Dishtowels?"

"No, the plan to woo you."

"Oh," she said softly, nodding slightly. "How am I ruining that?"

"You're making me want to skip the woo and go straight to the necking."

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded, his hand moving up to toy with a strand of hair that had escaped her pony-tail.

"That'd be a horrible thing, wouldn't it?" she asked, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"It might." He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. "I don't want to rush this," he said after a moment.

"That's new for you," she said.

"That's just mean, Donnatella," he grumbled, closing his eyes and enjoying their closeness.

"No, Joshua, it's the truth. You've rushed every other… thing you've tried," gesturing between the two of them as she referred to their closeness as a 'thing.'

"Yeah," he agreed. "But they weren't _you_," he whispered, brushing his lips hesitantly across hers.

She pulled back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Aww. See, now you're bringing the woo," she chuckled, leaning in and returning his gentle kiss with several more of her own.

******


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

******

"Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that."

She was nestled between his legs and rested back against his chest as they reclined in front of the fire. She had an old, leather-bound book propped up against her knees and held open with her left hand, her right hand resting on Josh's knee, stroking his flannel pants gently.

He leaned his head forward and nuzzled her neck softly. "Do you really read A Christmas Carol every Christmas Eve?" He asked, his breath tickling her skin.

"Yes, we do," she replied, smiling as his hand slipped up her side and around her front, holding her tightly to him. "The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman,-" she paused mid-sentence as his lips caressed and nipped her neck. She shifted slightly, turning to glare at him. "Joshua. We're never going to finish the book if you don't stop."

"Don't have to read it -they made a movie out of it," he replied, kissing her jaw just below her ear.

"Josh," she said, trying to put as much admonishment into her voice as one could when sighing with pleasure.

"Ma'am?"

"Stop." She pulled herself away from his lips and returned to her original position. "Where was I? Ok. "The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon `Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to."

"Donna," he reached around her and took the book from her lap and set it on the seat of the chair they were resting against.

She tried to twist and reach for the book, but the hand on her midsection stilled her.

"Seriously. This is a cute tradition and all, and I look forward to reading this with you every year. Except this year."

"Every year, huh?" she questioned, not missing his comment.

"Yeah," he nodded, tipping his head slightly so that he could pull in a large breath of air.

She smirked quickly before turning towards him. "Josh, it's just not Christmas without the story," she whined, making sad eyes at him.

"I'm immune to that look, Donna."

"You are not," she scoffed.

"I am tonight," he said, his voice growing huskier. "I have other things on my mind than Scrooge and his ghostly visitors."

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded and shifted her slightly so she was more sideways against him; perpendicular to his frame. "Yeah."

"Like what?" she prodded.

"Like telling you that you smell good," he said softly as he inhaled her shampoo's scent off her hair again.

"It's Paul Mitchell. It always smells good," she replied with a chuckle. She turned around completely so she faced him and propped her feet on either side of his hips. She settled in and leaned back, holding herself up with her hands so she was reclined before him. "Are you done? Can I read my book now?"

He smirked and latched onto each thigh, tugging her closer to him. "How come I've never seen these pants before?" he asked, fingering the soft flannel. "These are the sexiest pajamas, ever."

Her head fell back and she laughed outright. "Josh, they're flannel!"

"But they're hot."

She looked down. "They have flags on them."

He shrugged. "I have a thing for women in red-white-and-blue."

She smirked. "Remind me to lock you up on the Forth of July."

His hands moved up her legs quickly and stilled on her hips, his fingers toying with the stretched-out hem of his Harvard sweatshirt. "Where did you get this sweatshirt?"

"From your laundry," she replied, blushing.

"You stole my shirt!"

"I borrowed," she replied.

"Exactly when do you plan on giving it back?" he questioned, tickling her through the shirt, ever so slightly.

"When you finally get me a trip to Hawaii," she replied, calmly.

He smirked at her. "Swear?" he asked. She nodded and suddenly he was pulling his legs from underneath hers and standing up.

"Hey- Josh?" She called, watching him rush towards his backpack, which still sat on the hallway bench. "Josh?"

"Stay - right - there," he called over his shoulder as he rummaged through the highly disorganized bag until his hands contacted a cool, metallic feeling paper. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "I return victorious!"

"What's that?" she asked, eyeing the red-foil wrapped box in his hand with a wary expression.

"Its your Christmas present," he said with a grin as he settled back in front of her and pulled her legs back into their earlier position on either side of his lap.

"Josh, I know Christmas is a new thing for you since you're Jewish and all, but gifts are actually done tomorrow morning," she said, intentionally patronizing.

"Open the present, Donna."

She smiled and lifted the lid on the oblong foil-wrapped box, briefly noting her name scrawled in Sharpie across the top in his handwriting.

Her mouth dropped open as she saw the contents. A resort-brochure, a post card, and a Hawaiian Airlines envelope that looked suspiciously like first-class.

He smiled, a bit uncertainly, watching her take it all in.

She looked up and her face was a cross between disbelief and shock. "Josh…this is…" she stumbled, her eyes sparkling with moisture.

"Oh, god," he said, drawing a breath quickly. "If you're going to cry, you can't have it," he said, reaching out to take the box back.

She pulled it out of his reach and managed a chuckled followed by a small sniffle and looked up at him again. "Are you serious about this? This isn't a joke?"

"I'm serious. Merry Christmas."

She sniffled again before scooting closer to him, aware of their position and proximity. "You must really want this shirt back, don't you?" she teased slightly, leaning in and resting her forehead on his, her free hand snaking around and gently stroking his curls.

"You can keep it," he replied. "Looks better on you than me, anyway." He grinned when she chuckled at that. "You have two tickets, you know. Any idea who you'll take?"

"Yeah. I think I might have an idea or two." She closed her eyes and took a calming breath.

"Anyone I know?" He prodded.

"Well… I don't work for you anymore," she stated softly. "Wanna go to Hawaii?"

He paused, seeming to mull it over in his head. "Hot, sandy, volcanoes…."

"Me in a little red bikini," she muttered.

"I'm there!" He laughed. "I gotta say, Donna, I think I really like you not working for me," he admitted.

She sighed and placed a hand over his heart. "God, Josh… this is… I can't believe you're here and that you just gave me tickets to Hawaii," she paused and looked at the box and continued wryly; "Which you obviously planned in advance for."

"Its all part of my plan, Donna," he said with a grin, his fingers stroking the skin at the base of her neck in a light massage; she closed her eyes in response to his touch.

"The Secret Plan to Withhold Dishtowels?" she managed to ask.

"That's the one," he agreed, tilting his head and kissing her softly.

When they parted a moment later she blushed slight. "You're _really_ bringing the woo, aren't ya?"

"Oh, yeah," he whispered, right before they kissed again, the tip of her tongue tracing his lower lip.

******


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

******

She sat at the kitchen table, planner in hand and pen between her teeth.

"What are you doing?" he asked, running his hand over his eyes as he tried to fight his way out of sleep.

"Planning Hawaii," she said, glancing up and him, speaking and grinning around the pen in her mouth

"You're what?" he asked, walking towards the coffee maker and frowning when he noticed it was empty.

"I'm planning Hawaii," she replied without looking up. "And the electricity's out. No coffee."

He groaned and plopped into the chair next to her.

"Josh, the generator's out of gas. I checked an hour ago when I woke up- I am not walking the 2 hours to the gas station to get gas so you can have a cup of coffee, ok? I'm sorry to say, you're going to have to learn to deal."

"But Donna," he whined.

Donna glanced at him as she flipped a page in her date-book.

"How's June look for you?" she asked casually.

"For coffee? Too far away."

"For Hawaii."

He whined. "I don't know. I can't think without coffee."

She glared at him for a moment before closing her day-planner. "Fine. Don't come with me to Hawaii. Me and my little red bikini will sit on the white sands all alone and will attract the attention of the many fine young Hawaiian men."

"Hawaiian gomers, is more like it," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes again. He paused, mid-motion. "You went out to check the generator?"

"Yeah," she said, rising and grabbing a bottle of juice from the still-cool fridge.

"In the snow? You went out?"

"Yeah. I did."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

She shrugged as she unscrewed the top to the bottle. "Why should both of us be cold and tired? Besides, she paused, ducking her head just slightly as her shyness finally showed. "You looked kinda cute sleeping there."

He chuckled. "You've seen me sleep before." He stood and walked up in front of her. "Wake me up, next time, will you? What if some snow beast had gotten you?"

She chuckled. "Again with the snow-beasts? Josh, your doctor's said that you're prone to chest colds like pneumonia and bronchitis after your surgery. You need to be in where it's warm!"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Donna!" His voice rose slightly. "You must have forgotten that impromptu trip you took to Germany? Your doctor's said the same thing!"

She shrugged. "Yeah," she said, taking a swig of her juice. "But if I'm sick, Joshua, then you get to take care of me."

"This is true," he said, resting his hands on her shoulders. "That could be fun."

She shrugged. "Being sick isn't usually fun."

"No," he replied. "I don't like seeing you sick. But I do like having the opportunity to spoil you and take care of your every need."

She arched a brow. "Really? It took, what, seven years, for you to want to do that?"

"It didn't take me seven years," he answered softly, his voice dropping as his hands slid down her arms and his thumbs caressed her skin. "I have always known how well you take care of me. Its just now that I have a chance to repay you by taking care of _you._"

She nodded suspiciously. "Nice save there, Josh."

"Thanks."

She smirked. "Its still early. We can go back to sleep if you want."

He nodded and took her hand, leading them towards the living room fire where the make-shift bed was still in place. They both sunk down onto the covers, side by side.

"Donna?"

"June's too soon for me," he said softly.

"Oh." Her voice was heavy with disappointment.

"I want to go but… I've got to get a list done first."

"Its ok. I understand; you've got priorities, Josh."

"I do," he agreed. "But I think they're different than what you think."

"No, you're one hundred percent right. The campaign comes first. Both campaigns," she said, referencing the talk they had earlier that afternoon about their new jobs.

"Screw the campaign, Donna," he said, rolling over on his side and watching her face as the firelight glowed against her alabaster complexion. "You're my priority!"

She frowned and looked up at him.

"I love what I do. I love my job. I'm the guy, Donna, the guy that gets the guy in. But… it's nothing if I don't have anyone to go home to at night…if I don't have a reason to worry about the environment and estate taxes and social security. It doesn't mean anything." Josh paused and smiled slightly. "I have some stuff to get done before we go to Hawaii, Donna. I have to woo you."

She sniffled. "I'm already wooed, Josh."

"Yeah?"

Donna nodded. "Yeah. I hate to admit to being easy, but… I was woo'd in Germany."

He groaned. "I could have moved in then?"

She nodded. "You could have."

"Huh. Who knew?"

She reached up and touched his check. "Josh? What do you still have left to do between now and June?"

"Dinner. I owe you many lunches and dinners," he said quickly. "And a few ballets and trips to the theatre."

She shook her head. "You don't get it, do you?" she whispered. "I'm happy with pizza, beer, and a Mets Game."

"Really?"

Donna nodded. "Really! I mean, being spoiled is nice every now and then, but it's not a requirement."

"If you're sure."

She nodded. "We'll make it a date. When we're back in DC full time, we'll do dinner at least once a week. Pizza and beer required. I'll take you to the game on your birthday and you can take me dancing on mine. We'll limit the spoiling."

Josh leaned down, brushing her lips with his own. "You're amazing."

"Most of the time, yes," she teased lightly then paused. "Josh, are you serious about this?"

"About what? The kissing? Yes, very serious."

"About … this," she said, gesturing between the two of them.

He nodded. "Very serious. I don't know how to live without you in my life. And you're not coming back to work for me because this," he mimicked her gesture, "is not allowed at the office as we already know."

She broke their gaze and sighed. "Josh, don't do this just to keep me in your life. We can work out a social schedule or something."

"No!" He said quickly. "That's not… no, Donna, I want this because I want you. With me. Forever. Damn," he paused. "I really suck at this."

"A little bit, yeah."

Josh took a deep breath, trying to calm his fluttering nerves. "I want you to be with me as long as you'll have me, Donna. A week, a month, forever. As much as you're willing to give. I don't want that because you know that I need note cards or because you know how to organize my backpack or because you understand the various meanings of the word 'thing,'" he paused again, shifting so he rested his weight on his hip and could cradle her hand between both of his own. "I want to be with you as long as you'll have me, Donna, because I'm pretty damned sure I'm ass-backwards in love with you and that I'd be completely lost without you."

She sniffled again while he wiped away her tears with his finger. "That sucked a lot less," she whispered, covering his lips with hers.

When they were finished, he nuzzled his nose against hers ever so lightly. "So, Hawaii in June?"

"Sounds good to me."

"With the bikini?"

"If you're worried, I'll let you pack it."

Josh rolled onto his back and she followed, molding herself to his frame. "Now, that's juts a bad idea," he replied with a chuckle. "If I forgot it, you'd have to walk around naked. …oh…maybe this is a really good idea."

Donna chuckled, warmed by his arms around her and the flickering fire a few feet away. "Night, Josh."

"Merry Christmas, Donna."

******


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

******

She packed her clothes, zipping her suitcase.

"You ready?" she hollered down to him.

"Its still snowy," he called back up the stairs.

"It's melted enough. We can drive in it."

"Two days ago there was over a foot- now it's drivable?"

She set her bags by the foot of the steps and double-checked the locks on the back door and windows. "It's melting. It's above freezing today; the roads won't be ice-y."

"Donna- my rental's a coupe!"

She smirked. "Good. It's a manual- it'll handle better on the snow. It has a wider wheel base than some SUV's so it'll be less likely to flip."

"FLIP?!" he squealed.

"Josh- your voice. I know we've talked about the girly tone."

"Flipping cars?"

She shook her head at him. "You're from New England. They have snow there, Joshua. What, exactly, is the problem?"

He pulled his own coat on and grabbed his bags and nudged the door open with his foot. "Nothing. But you're driving."

"Fine."

*****

She tilted her head back against the headrest and breathed deeply, moaning slightly with her exhale.

He turned to look at her while unbuckling his belt. "What was that for?"

Donna regarded him with a twinkling blue eye. "The feel of DC tarmac," she teased. "Its good to be home."

He chuckled and leaned over, pecking her on the cheek quickly before grabbing their carry-ons from the overhead.

"What's your schedule for the rest of the week?"

She stood and took her coat from him and her bag. "I'm off until Thursday."

"So we have a whole day?"

"If that means that you're off till Thursday, too, then yes."

"Excellent; let the wooing begin. Tonight- pizza and beer. Tomorrow- the ballet."

She rolled her eyes. They didn't speak as they navigated the crowd off the plane.

"Its not necessary, you know," she said as they fell into step towards the baggage carousel.

He glanced at her as they walked. "We've been over it. I know."

"We also said only special events on birthdays."

"I'm ignoring that."

"Josh—" she wined but his lips brushing across hers silenced her words.

"Donna, would you let me spoil you?"

"No!" she said firmly. "You're officially unemployed until Santos declares his candidacy. Save your money. Hawaii in 6 months, remember? You're going to be taking me to the spa, and rock climbing, and kayaking, and horse back riding and all sorts of expensive fun stuff."

"No shopping?"

"Goes without saying."

"I figured."

"So save your money, Joshua."

He steadied himself with a deep breath. "Donna, I'm not exactly hurting, you know. I've got the trust my dad left - I never really used that and-"

It was her turn to silence him with a quick kiss. "So don't use it now. And not on me!"

"Who better to use it on."

She shrugged as she reached for her suitcase on the carrousel. "Save it for your kids."

"Kids?"

"You may have them someday. And they'll need braces and, if you're their father, therapy, and of course cars. Not to mention the college bills if the tax-credit for education ever gets thrown out," she said as she reached for his bag after setting her own at her feet.

"Since when am I having kids?"

"It could happen! Stranger things have happened."

"Since when am I even married."

"Joshua, don't tell me I have to explain this to you. A marriage license does not spawn a child nine months later. Marriage is not a requirement for reproduction."

"It is for me!" He hefted his bag and waited for her to do the same before they headed out of the airport.

She chuckled. "Good to know."

"I'm serious, Donna. I don't want _us _to suffer just because I'm officially unemployed for two weeks. Let me spoil you."

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

Donna's voice was sharp as she spoke. "I don't want you to, Joshua!"

He was oddly silent.

"I don't want you to buy my love," she said, her voice slightly defeated. "Don't think that you have to do that."

"I suck at this, Donna."

"Oh trust me I know."

"No—I mean, I _really_ suck at this, Donna," he said again. "I don't know how to … I don't know how to do this if you don't let me spoil you."

Donna paused in the middle of the airport, turning towards him. "Showing up in Madison was a really good start," she said sincerely.

"Huh," He said thoughtfully. "Figures the stuff that's a gut feeling is the stuff you like."

"And although we both know that buying tickets to Hawaii was really spoiling disguised as Christmas, it was also very good. And that required planning."

"Fair point."

Donna smiled slightly. "And letting me go home and get a nice warm bubble bath and freshen up would be nice, too."

"Oh." His face fell for the briefest of seconds before his false-bravado face came out in full force. "Had enough of me already, huh?"

"Not yet, no," she said, her voice lowering. "I just want to feel a little more …. pretty and a little less frantic-traveler before you come over for pizza, beer, and a night of poker and Mets games."

"Strip poker?"

She rolled her eyes. "Doubtful."

"Why not?!" he whined despite the intense teasing in his voice.

Donna smirked and resumed walking. "Because I don't want to kick your ass and embarrass you on our first date."

"Pretty confident there, Donatella. Did you major in poker for a semester?" he caught up to her in a matter of strides.

"Cute, Joshua. Very cute. Keep talking and you'll _never _see me naked."

"Shutting up now."

"That's what I thought."


	7. Chapter 7

******

**Part 7**

******

She was stretched out on the couch, her feet in his lap.

"You are the master of pizza ordering, Joshua," she said softly.

"I am the master of many things, Donatella."

"Like beer buying. You are the master of beer buying, too," she agreed, her eyes half closed.

"Anything else?" he prodded, stilling his hands on her feet.

She groaned. "You can be the master of whatever you want—just keep rubbing," she begged, bouncing her feet on his lap lightly.

Josh chuckled and took a swig of his beer before resume his assault on Donna's feet. "Master of whatever I want, huh? That could be trouble for you, Donna."

"Don't care," she said, moaning lightly as he hit a particularly tense spot on her foot.

"That's a fun sound," he teased, pushing harder on the spot, trying to work the knot from her muscles. "Wonder if I can do that again."

She arched slightly off the couch as she moaned as second time. "God, Josh. You're so the man right now."

"Is this really what it takes for you to call me the man?"

"Yes." She wiggled her toes at him. "More."

He pulled his fingertips over the soles of her feet, causing her to pull her feet away quickly.

She opened one eye and glared at him. "Be nice."

"I am being nice. I'm the master of nice. As well as the master of pizza, beer, and foot rubs, remember? Master of whatever I want."

"Tickling is not nice."

"Neither is being a tease."

"I am not a tease!"

"All the arching and moaning?!"

"One arch, Joshua. One!"

"More than enough to be considered a tease!"

She sat up and quickly tucked her feet under her. "Fine. You're done now."

"I am?" he asked, shifting towards her in a very predatory move.

"You so are," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Donna," he whined.

The shrill ring of her phone interrupted their playful flirting.

"You're definitely done for now, Josh," she said as she grabbed the phone.

He leaned forward and kissed her neck with tiny exploratory kisses.

She swatted him away. "Hi mom…."

Josh took his cue and began cleaning up the pizza box and empty beer bottles.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I missed you guys, too…yeah, maybe I can come next year- it depends on what I end up doing for Russell when he wins."

Donna ducked the dishtowel Josh chucked at her from the kitchen.

"Hmm? Oh- um- I-" she stuttered and her face blanched well past her normal alabaster skin-tone.

She covered her face with her hands. "Ok, mom. Yeah… Ok… Talk to you soon."

Donna disconnected the phone with a flick of her thumb and continued to hide her face with her free hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked, leaning against the door jamb of the kitchen.

"Josh, are you sure you packed everything when we left my parents?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"That was my mother," Donna said, "She wants to know why there are men's boxers on the sofa."

"Ok. So it looks like I missed some things."

Donna chuckled. "And you're invited to Christmas at Grandma's next year," she said. "Mom says you can have your underwear back then."

***

Fin


End file.
